Prof. Kwesi Botchwey holds a Bachelors of Law degree (LLB) from the University of Ghana, a Masters degree in Law (LLM) from Yale Law School, and a Doctorate degree from the University of Michigan Law School.
He taught at the University of Zambia, the University of Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) and the University of Ghana. He was Minister of Finance in Ghana from 1982 to 1995. Dr. Botchwey joined the HIID in 1996 as a Development Advisor, and has recently been appointed the Director of Africa Research and Programs at HIID and the CID.
Research Interests
Political economy of reform in Africa African capacity building and utilization capital markets in Africa Works-in-Progress: Pulling Back from the Precipice: The Political Economy of Policy Reform in Ghana (A book project) “Public Goods Theory and African Development,” (UNDP Office of Development Studies).
Jointly with Deborah Brautigam, “Impact of Aid Dependency on Governance and Institutions in Africa.” Restarting Growth and Development in Africa: A Case Study of Ghana Publications: “Transforming the Periphery: A study of the struggle of social forces in Ghana for democracy and national sovereignty”, United Nations publication, 1981 (ISBN 92-808-0309-3; ISSN 0379-5772) DSDRSCA-83/UNUO-309 “Obstacles to Centralized Reform: An African Perspective” in Deepening Structural Reform in Africa, Lessons from East Asia, ed. Laura Wallace, International Monetary Fund, Washington, DC, 1996.
Current and Past Projects
Member & Convener Team of academics from Yale, Oxford, and the Free University of Amsterdam that conducted and has just finished the first External evaluation at the request of the Executive Board of the IMF, of the Fund’s Enhanced Structural Adjustment Facility (ESAF).
Member Commonwealth Group of Eminent Persons for the Facilitation of the Signing of the Uruguay Round of Gatt Negotiations.
Member OECD group of high-level experts for the review of the OECD study on “Globalization and Linkages to 2020: Challenges and Opportunities for OECD countries (1996).
Member of Commonwealth Expert Group on Good Governance and the Elimination of Corruption in Economic Management Member Panel of High Level Personalities on African Development – an advisory group established to assist the UN Secretary-General in advocating greater support for African development and in coordinating the UN system’s activities in the region.
Consultancies
Dr. Botchwey has conducted a number of consultancy projects, assignments and advisor works for the World Bank (advisor to the Bank on the 1997 World Development Report), IMF ( Member and Chairman of Group of Independent Experts who conducted the first ever external evaluation of the Enhanced Structural Adjustment Facility), the UNDP (served as an advisor to the UN Special Initiative on Africa) and the European Centre for Development Policy and Management (ECDPM).
Courses Taught
‘Managing Economic Reform in Low-income countries’, PED 135, KSG
Materials Developed for Courses
Macroeconomic Management Workshop, HIID Budgeting in the Public Sector Workshop, HIID Papers and Speeches Given at Conferences:
“HIV/AIDS and Economic Development in Africa” Theme Paper, African Development Forum, Economic Commission For Africa, December 2000
“Magnitude and Drivers of the Brain Drain in Africa” Keynote Address at the 1999 Africa Business Conference, Harvard University January 30, 1999.
“Growth and Poverty Alleviation in Africa”, ODC Conference on African Economic Recovery, 1996.
“Deepening Structural Adjustment Reforms and Policies for Growth in Africa”, May 1996.
“Growth and Poverty Alleviation”, ODC Conference on African Economic Recovery, June 11-12, 1996.
“Globalization: What has it meant for Africa and what does the future portend?” Presented at the Seminar on International Solidarity and Globalization: In Search of New Strategies, Stockholm, 1997.
“The Role of the State, the Ministry of Finance and the Treasury Secretary in the context of Economic Liberalization and Globalization”, Abidjan, June 1998.
“The Politics of Administrative Reform”, World Bank, June 1998.
“Mobilizing capital flows in support of accelerated African development – the role of capital markets”, Washington, DC, July 1998.
Associations/Affiliations
Chairman, Economic Committee of the Global Coalition for Africa (GCA) Chairman, African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) Member, African Economic Research Consortium Board (AERC) Member, Carnegie Economic Reform Network Member, Board of the Overseas Development Council (ODC) Hobbies/Other Interests: Tennis, Painting Phone: (617) 495 9530 Fax: (617) 496 9466 Location: Center for International Development at Harvard University, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 USA Email: kwesi_botchwey@harvard.edu Harvard College
